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Best. Soup. Ever.

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Best. Soup. Ever.

As you may have noticed, I’m a big fan of raw soups. This is funny, given that traditional soups were never my favorite. Or, to be more precise, any broth based soup was never my favorite: I’ve always been partial to blended soups (root vegetable soups, for instance), which is probably why the smooth and creamy textures of most raw soups please me so much.

The recipe I’m about to share is, without a doubt, my favorite raw soup. Why? Because it’s fast, simple, and sweet enough to be rightly called dessert, yet it’s totally guilt free. This soup is also loaded with enzymes, nutrients (such as beta carotene), and natural carbohydrates; I actually recommend it to my more athletic clients and friends as a great pre-workout drink in lieu of a smoothie. Best of all, this soup incorporates one of my favorite flavors: pumpkin pie.

Yes yes, I know, this is probably the least seasonal post I’ll ever write. It’s 85 degrees here in New York, the sidewalks are littered with bare shoulders, and I slept with my AC last night. But who cares? Pumpkin pie doesn’t stop tasting good in summertime. And to be fair, this recipe doesn’t really use pumpkin: it simply borrows the flavors of the classic dish.

The original recipe for this dish appears in Natalia Rose’s Raw Food Life Force Energy. Her recipe calls for raw sweet potatoes; I usually use raw butternut squash instead, and I substitute Stevia for the original dates. The soup typically comes together in 10 minutes or less, and it never disappoints. Without further ado:

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender till smooth and creamy (and a little warm, if you like to serve soup that way).

If you don’t have a high speed blender or Vitamix, you could substitute steamed squash for raw and use a regular blender.

Here’s the bowl I devoured on Friday:

And a shot of my meal:

It’s been a hot and industrious weekend. I hope you’ve all enjoyed some early summer weather! I have some exciting posts planned for this week, including a special round up of low-sugar desserts, my musings on restaurant dining, and my very first giveaway! So stay tuned.

Finally, and on a more somber note, I want to extend my sympathy to Jenna and her family, who are mourning the loss of Jenna’s brother, John. Jenna is in the hearts and minds of so many of us in the blogging community right now, and I hope our good wishes bring her some solace.

I will definitely be making this soon! Today I made the cashew ricotta and it was soooo good! Last week I made the raw chocolate pudding. It was the perfect treat! Thanks for sharing your recipes. You have inspired me!:)

I LOVE blended soups too. It’s what got me through a very looooong winter. I don’t know why folks think raw food = cold food. BUT now that spring has finally sprung and temps are heating up, what recommendations do you have for yummy, refreshing summertime soups?

Well I’ll do my best to share many on the site! I love cream of spinach (made with almond milk OR avocado), Ani Phyo’s corn chowder (which I’ll certainly make for the blog soon), the carrot avocado soup on my recipe tab (a total fave) and cream of tomato with roma tomatoes, an avocado base, and some basil thrown in. But the possibilities are truly endless.

Well, it’s not so hot here that I could not enjoy a big slice of pumpkin pie…but perhaps I will try this instead! I don’t have a lot of chilled soup recipes under my belt, but this one might start me down that road. It’s a good sign that my tummy started rumbling when I read this 🙂

Best soup ever? Hmm, those are strong words, my dear! I’m a bit of a soup diva myself–soups make the best lunches in my world. This recipe seems like a great template for making all sorts of summery soups. I’m thinking about substituting cantaloupe for the butternut squash. Bring on the warm weather!

Just out of curiosity, how do you decide whether you want to use stevia or agave nectar in your recipes? Do you prefer one over the other?

Those are strong words. I’ll just say this: taking into account this soup’s simplicity, ease, taste, and double-duty as both dessert and main course, I’m a big, big fan.

I use Stevia whenever possible. I’m not opposed to agave, but it’s high in sugar (sure, it’s a better SORT of sugar than others, but gram for gram, it’s still a hefty amount), so Stevia is great for everyday use. If I want a drizzle of something over raw granola, or something sticky for raw cookies, I go with agave.

I just wanted to say that I have come down with H1N1 and made this super easy recipe for lunch. DELISH and a perfect sick/comfort food for me. Thanks for posting this (even though it was a while back).